The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-04-02

in this house alonef" asked Won Stein.
"Alone," returned tho lady. II am
the last OF my race"
Who shall FAY how it came about
The lady was beautiful, the man was
young. In such cases love is some
times found to be plant that does
not take long in growing. Moreover
Won Stein, though noble, was poor,
and the lady the last OF her race, the
heiress OF an ancient Lineage. Posi-.
bly, the notion OF the inheritance the
lonely girl might bring with her had
some part in the sudden passion which
filled the young mans heart. Who
can tell?
1t was not long before hefound him
self kneeling at her feet and Offering
the beautiful young maiden all that
he had to offer-hls devotion and his
life.
The lady listend silently and with
bowed head to his ardent pleadings.
Then she said, looking up, but away
from him, and speakingly absently:
81 have heard those words before"
"But meyer from lips go true, so
young man, warmly, forgetting, in his
fascination for the beautiful lady, how
he had certainly taken her inheritance
into account in the first place.
The lady sighed and was silent.
Then she said: "If yield to your
wishes we must be married ut once"
cat oncel" cried Won Stein, per.
haps q little startled Yet what lover
ever found the time between betrothal
and marriage to shortl Il am
ready" he said, CALAMITY, "and i'm.
patient"
The lady smiled, moved softly away
to an old worm eaten chest which was
set against the wall, took from it two
rings and q white veil and crown of
myrtle, which she laid upon her dark
flowing hair. Her dress was white.
Come" she said to her lover, and
led the way.
A little bewildered, after the fashion
OF bride.grooms in general, and scarce
ly knowing whether to be happy or
alarmed, the young man followed his
bride through, as 1t seemed to him,
miles ofdimly lighted vauted passages
until at length they reached q vaulted
chamber, which they had no sooneren-
tered than u great iron door shut heavi-
ly behind them, with sound that echo
ed through every arch of the dimly
lighted building. 1t was the chapel.
"Your hand is cold, my love-" said
the young man tenderly to- his bride.
"No matter; yours has warmth and
life enough FOR both" replied the lady.
Yet the life seemed actually to ebb
from the young mans heart as he OBJ.
served the stone figure OF q bishop,
which was sculptured in gravestone
in the centre of the chapel, gradually
rise from its recumbent position and
walk up the steps OF the alter. The
eyes OF the bishop famed like glow
worms, the candles upon the alter
lighted OF themselves, and the tones
of an organ rolled solemnly through
the vaulted building.
kurt Won Stein, wilt thou take the
lady OF Windeck for thy lawful wife?'
said the bishop in low, sepulchral
tones. which sounded as though not
he, but some muilled voice n dozen
yards away, was speaking.
At this moment the whole horror OF
the scene seemed to break upon the
young man. Around hun, slowly ris-
ing from their graves, he saw the
shrouded forms and Ileshless faces OF
the dead, who came to witness the
chostly marriage. Even the face OF
his bride, as his fascinated eyes fixed
upon it, wore the livid hue Of death.
He turned in an agony to fly from the
horrible scene, tried to snatch his
hand from the cold. hard grip OF the
phantom lady, fell, as he believed sense
less upon thechapel noor-and awoke
to find himself, at dawn OF day, lying
at full length on the moss-grown stone
where he had sat at rest the night be-
fore, at the castle door, and his horse
intent on an early meal Oh the rank
heritage OF the grass.grown court.
When he told his tale in the village
and at the neighboring castles, no one
in the least doubted that he had
almost, if not quite, laid the unquiet
spirit OF the lady OF Windeck.